how many of you use grip aids?

azzwoo started this discussion · 10/31/2009

Hi guys! I'm wondering if any of you here use grip aids (i.e. mighty grip/ chalk etc)? I've been trying to hold my twisted grip recently and i'm finding I can't hold it, not becasue I don't have the strength, but because my hands are too damn slippery and I feel like they're going to slip off. I also have the same problem when I have tried the split grip and when doing my ext butt and iguana type holds. I have small hands, thatdon't fit around the pole v well, and want to get a smaller pole, but until I can afford it i'm looking to maybe get some mighty grip to help. Do grip aids really help? I read somewhere that they shouldn't be used becasue people get to rely on them, but is it ok to use them occasionally? Ta! Az

14 replies

EVamp83 · 10/31/2009
Hey Az, I use chalk occasionally. I can do most of my practice without it, but it's nice to have as a last resort. Especially for twisted grip and iguana mount practice on 'slippery days'. I can do both without chalk, but sometimes it just feels a little more safe with the chalk, when I'm not sure if my hands have enough grip to stay up. I try to use as little as possible (both in amount and in occasions), for exactly the reason you mentioned of not wanting to have to rely on grip aids. I have no experience with mighty grip, btw, just the chalk. All I can say is that it works for me. But only for practicing individual moves/combos, I don't like chalk on my hands when I do spins (except maybe on hot summerdays, those are very different 🙂 ). And I don't like that the chalk gets smeared all over the pole, so when I use it I wipe the pole a lot. Wow, that was quite a rant. I hope it helps you. Best of luck! xx E
suncatcher · 11/1/2009
it sounds wierd but a little shaving cream rubbed on the hands or back of the knee or where ever you need a little stick works good for me I like spinny alot and it helps my grip when i'm spinning and inverts to get that extra stick , just a little and let dry, doesn't seem to gunk up my pole either but i don't use it alot. just on the really sweaty days lol.
azzwoo · 11/1/2009
thanks guys, thats exactly what I mean, I don't want to use a grip aid all the time as I don't have problems with anything else, it would just be for those days where my hands are slippery. I'm looking forward to the winter so my hands don't sweat so much, how sad is that?? Never heard of shaving cream being used, but I've tried using a little hairspray on my hands before, and it worked well apart from that it didn't get rid of the sweaty part, it just made my hands temporarily more sticky. Mighty grip says it also helps with sweat, which was why I was thinking of trying that one. RIght i'm off to order some! let me know if anyone wants a review! lol
RoxyPink · 11/1/2009
ok so there are two kinds of aids...those that make you "grippy" and then those that keep your hands dry! Mighty grip will make them grippy but it won't help with sweaty hands. If it's sweat that is the problem then I would suggest either tite grip or dry hands. I've used both of these and dry hands is my favorite. Of course I only use grip aids when learning a new move or if i've had a real long sweaty practice and just can't keep em dry! 😀
SissyBuns · 11/1/2009
I like Dry Hands for when I'm trying new stuff 😀
amcut · 11/1/2009
The new gloves by MG are pretty nice, too. I've been using them for iguana practice so that I don't humptydumpty myself.
Hils · 11/1/2009
i posted a blog on this too. i bought some mighty grip and use it sometimes. it works ok. Veena told me to try yellow rubber gloves, i like to use them too. it works. others use windex to wipe their pole down with.
azzwoo · 11/1/2009
haha humptydumpty! I've just ordered some mighty grip, if it doesn't help oh well. I had a look at the gloves, they look pretty good, do you have the ones with grip or without grip? p.s. on a totally different note did anyone see that news article on political correctness gone mad? It was on a school that is teaching their kids that in the end of humpty dumpty instead of humpty not being able to be put back together again, all the kings horses and all the kings men 'made humpty happy again' because they didn't want to upset the children. How ridiculous! maybe i'm just cynical 🤔
EVamp83 · 11/1/2009
Haha, yep, I read about the humptydumpty correction on a Dutch news forum last month. Crazy, isn't it?!! As if all the kids since 1803 who grew up with the original version were all scarred for life 🤓 🤔
Charley · 11/2/2009
I use tite grip on my hands every single time I practice. Not because I need help gripping much anymore but because tite grip is an anti perspirant. I find I can get so much more out of a practice if I keep my sweating under control. I have an unusually sweaty body - my shoulder sweat a ton, underarms, feet, hands but I only apply it to hands a about a dime sized amount and it does the trick for me - there is no tackiness, it doesn't inhibit spins, just stops the sweating. The same as if you used alcohol. I don't consider this type of a grip aid on a regular basis cheating much because sweating is dangerous. I apply antiperspirant daily to my underarms so why not hands and bottoms of my feet? And actually the tite grip has helped with foot odor - I told you I was a very sweaty person 🙄 I use rosin in aerial class and would never get on the trapeze with out it. Most people wouldn't. So, I say go for it. PS - liquid chalk is REALLY grippy which is why I don't use it but it is fabulous for learning new tricks -but if you are a sweaty poler you will sweat right through it - I know I do.
blueeyes · 11/3/2009
Ah! All the moves you have trouble with due to sweaty hands are EXACTLY the ones I have difficulty doing without grip aids! I have tried chalk/rosin/Tite Grip/ and Dry Hands. I tell ya, as soon as I did the iguana mount with Dry Hands... I remember giving a huge smile and short laugh, because it worked SO well. Its definitely my favorite. Havent tried Mighty Grip - but please let us know how you like it!! I try not to use it often, but I probably use it everytime I pole dance because I use it when learning new moves, and sometimes it takes weeks and weeks to get a new move soooo bunches of Dry Hands is necessary!!
maddieLines · 11/3/2009
I use Dry hands when i practice TG works great x
PoleChamp · 11/4/2009
Mighty Grip sent me some samples. I tried them out with my best students. At first they said that it was just like the gymnastics chalk but after sweating a bit more they said it was a little grippier. Hope that helps!
loopielou · 11/4/2009
I've tried a few different kinds of grip aids. I can't quite seem to get on with Mighty Grip - it doesn't go sticky for me but I do have the gloves (don't know if they're the grippy ones or the normal ones to be honest!) and they are really good for practising moves but not so good for routines (unless you're on a spinny pole) as you really do stick to the pole and the Mighty Grip powder is useful to have for under the gloves to minimise the movement of your hands inside them. I like liquid chalk as it seems to help dry my hands out temporarily but doesn't stop me spinning as much as some of the others do. I like tite grip as well and am going to get some more of that, however alot of my poley friends swear by Dry Hands - I think it's quite hard to find in the UK, but I have found a person ebay selling it for £8 a bottle so I might have to purchase and give that a bash as well. Ultimately, I think you just have to find the right stuff for you - keep testing different things and see what works best for what you want to do on the pole. Having a variety around seems to help me then I can switch and change between them depending on what I am wanting the grip for.